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Spanish property news roundup: Number of homes for sale dips but positive outlook forecast

From the regulation of the rental market in Barcelona to mortgage values in 2021, stay up-to-date on the latest Spanish property news with The Local's weekly roundup.

Published: 21 September 2021 16:52 CEST
Spanish property news roundup: Number of homes for sale dips but positive outlook forecast
The Local's weekly property roundup. Photo: hoelli / Pixabay

The number of homes for sale fell in the past year

The number of secondhand homes available fell by four percent in the last year in most provincial capitals, as a result of the increase in the sale of houses in the months after the first wave of the pandemic, according to a study published by the real estate giants Idealista on Tuesday. 

The availability of homes for sale has gone from 196,000 properties in September 2020 to 187,000 in September 2021.  

Pamplona was the place where it was most difficult to find a home, compared with a year ago, as the number of available houses has fallen by 28 percent.  

The number of properties for sale has also fallen in Soria, Santander, San Sebastián, Teruel, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Lérida and Castellón de la Plana. 

However, this trend is not the same in all areas, because, in some places, the number of homes for sale has increased, particularly in Ceuta, with 19 percent more properties available than a year ago. 

The number of homes for sale also increased in Ourense, León, Córdoba, Jaén, Girona, Palencia and Cáceres. 

Barcelona was the only big city where the number of available properties had increased (seven percent) compared with a year ago, however, in Madrid and Valencia, the numbers dropped by six percent each. It also fell by six percent in Seville, five percent in Malaga, and two percent in Bilbao.  

Barcelona extends the regulation of its rental market

The Barcelona City Council announced last week that it will continue to regulate the city’s rental prices for five more years and stop rent increases.

The regulation has been in force for a year and prevents increases above the official reference index, created by the Generalitat.

In new contracts, prices cannot exceed this index. If in the previous contract the rent was higher, it must be lowered.

It is now easier to apply for a mortgage in Spain. Photo: IndiraFoto / Pixabay
Mortgages in 2021: what is the average value in Spain?

Good news for those interested in applying for a mortgage for a home in Spain. The average value of a home on which a mortgage is requested was €171,809 in August, the lowest figure so far this year.

This is 11.21 percent lower than in July, which also implies a decrease in the average value, which currently stands at around €127,000.

This is demonstrated by the data, according to the recent study carried out by Centro de Estudios Trioteca, a Spanish company specialised in obtaining mortgage loans.  

The research also showed that almost 95 percent of candidates who apply for a mortgage are looking for a fixed rate with an average duration of 27 years. On the other hand, only 5.2 percent of requests are made for variable rate search.

Positive outlook forecasted for Spanish real estate 

According to a report recently published by Allied Market Research entitled ‘Residential Real Estate Market in Spain By Budget and Size: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027’, the outlook for the Spanish real estate market is positive.  

In 2018, the Spanish residential real estate market was $128.3 billion (€109.3 billion) and it is expected to reach $149.9 billion (€127.7 billion) in 2027, registering a compound annual growth rate of eight percent from 2020 to 2027.

The report also added that the current market encourages foreign investments, due to the favorable rules and regulations established by the government for foreign investors.

If you want to read more property news, you can see last week’s round-up here. 

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PROPERTY

BBQs, nudity and plants: What are the balcony rules in Spain?

Though many people hang laundry, plants, and flags from their balcony, in Spain the rules on what you can and can't do on 'el balcón' are not well-known.

Published: 8 May 2024 17:13 CEST
Updated: 11 May 2024 08:31 CEST
BBQs, nudity and plants: What are the balcony rules in Spain?

Imagine the scene: you’ve just bought or signed the lease on your dream apartment. It’s bright and airy, with plenty of space, and even has a nice-sized balcony to get some fresh air on. You can do whatever you want there, right? 

Not exactly. In Spain the rules on what you can and can’t do on a balcony (even if it’s private) depend on a few factors, namely the regional and local rules, as well as getting the approval of the building’s homeowner’s association – known in Spain as la comunidad.

Some of them might just surprise you.

READ ALSO: ‘La comunidad’: What property owners in Spain need to know about homeowners’ associations

There are four main things or activities on balconies that could potentially put you on the wrong side of the local rules and even get you fined: barbecues, plants, laundry, and flags.

In all cases (even if you don’t think you’re breaking any rules) you’ll generally need to consider two things: firstly, does this affect or change the building’s façade? And secondly: will la comunidad allow it?

Barbecues

In Spain there is no national law prohibiting barbecues on private property, so in principle it is legal as long as the barbecue is lit in a private space such as your own balcony, garden or terrace, and not a shared space.

Often in Spain, the roof (usually referred to as la terrazza) is a shared space people use for storage and hanging their laundry, so be sure to check with the comunidad.

In terms of your own balcony, however, although there’s no law saying outright you can’t have a barbecue, you’ll need to take into account the rules and regulations in force in each locality or region. There may also be specific rules within the building that long-term homeowners have developed over the years.

As we will see, many of these low-level regulations are delegated to local governments and town halls in Spain, so the answer to these sorts of questions is usually: it depends where you are.

However, according to Article 7 of Spain’s Horizontal Property Law, “the owner and the occupant of the flat or premises are not allowed to carry out in it or in the rest of the property activities prohibited in bylaws, which are harmful to the property or which contravene the general provisions on annoying, unhealthy, harmful, dangerous or illegal activities.”

This basically gives your neighbours the right to complain about noise, smells, smoke and any possible fire risk in or around their building, which barbecues could plausibly fall under.

As with co-living anywhere in the world, regardless of the regional or local rules, employ some common sense: be reasonable, listen to neighbour’s concerns and take up any disputes with the President of la comunidad.

READ ALSO: What you need to know before having a barbecue in Spain

Plants

Again, with plants the responsibility falls on each local authority to set the rules. In Spain, most regions and town halls state that, as long as the architectural or structural elements of the building are not changed or weakened in any way, putting plants on your balcony is permitted.

However, note that many terraces and balconies do have maximum weight regulations that must be respected in order to guarantee their safety, which is 200kg per square metre. If this figure is exceeded (and it can be proved) you could theoretically be fined.

Laundry

Laundry lines criss-crossing the streets might be one of the more picturesque images of Spanish life, but the people doing it might actually be breaking the rules.

How do you know? You guessed it, it depends where you. You’ll need to check with your local authority on this one, though municipal regulations in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia all regulate hanging laundry from your balcony, which is again outlined in the Horizontal Property Law.

This principally seems to be because it affects the façade of the building (a common theme when it comes to balcony rules in Spain).

In places with rules about hanging laundry from balconies, you could be fined up to 750 euros if you don’t comply with the rules.

However, according to Foto Casa, even if you live in an area where there are no bans or penalties against hanging laundry on the balcony, you’ll still likely need the permission of la comunidad.

READ MORE: Spain’s weirdest laws that foreigners should know about

What about flags?

Whether it be the Spanish flag, the Catalan, Valencian or Andalusian flags, or LGBT, trade union or football team flags, flags proudly hanging from balconies is another mainstay of Spanish life.

It’s also one of the more controversial ones too, especially within comunidad meetings. Hanging flags on the balcony, as well as allegedly altering the aesthetics and security of the building (the same concern as with laundry) often has ideological connotations that can cause conflict.

Again, as with laundry, hanging flags on the balcony will require the approval of all the owners within the community, something that must be agreed at a meeting, as per the Horizontal Property Law.

However, if the flag is placed inside the property, as it is a private property, fellow homeowners cannot oppose it, even if it is visible from the street, according to Foto Casa.

Nudity 

Article of 185 of Spain’s Penal Code only considers being naked at home to be obscene exhibitionism and sexual provocation if it affects minors, in which case it is punishable with a fine or up to a year in prison.

Therefore, you could technically sunbathe shirtless or naked on your balcony in most cases without getting into trouble, although it won’t necessarily go down well with your neighbours and/or flatmates and you be reprimanded for it.

READ ALSO: Can you go shirtless or wear a bikini in the street in Spain?

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